Nintendo Shutting Down Miitomo, Its First Ever Mobile App

Miitomo, the app that marked Nintendo’s entry into the world of smartphone apps, will soon cease to exist. The Japanese firm announced the decision on Thursday, saying Miitomo’s servers will be closed on May 9. The Android app hit the Google Play Store in mid-March 2016.

Image Source: Miitomo (screensnhot)

Miitomo shutdown – what users must know

Nintendo has already stopped selling the Miitomo coins, the in-app currency. However, users are allowed to use the app and receive Miitomo coins through login bonuses until the May deadline.

“If you launch the app after the end of service on 5/9, you’ll see a message informing you that service has ended. You will no longer be able to use any of the app’s features,” Nintendo said in a blog post.

Following the shutdown in May, none of the features of the app will be usable including wallpapers, posters, and digital clothes. The Mii character, however, can be transferred to a Nintendo Account before the end of the service, but only its appearance will be saved, while its general information and personality will be lost.

Further, the sidekick Mii characters can be shifted to the Mii Maker app for the Wii U and 3DS consoles before the service is closed. Also, after the deadline, players would not be able to view Miifotos, including ones shared on social platforms. However, you can preserve the Miifotos by saving them on your smartphone or tablet.

For Miitomo fans, the company will be hosting a “Final Thank You Festival,” where users will be given in-game stuff over the weeks leading up to the end of the app. Also, daily login bonuses have been raised to 2,000 Miitomo coins and five game tickets till May, notes CNET.

“Until the end of the Miitomo service on 5/9, we’re offering daily login bonuses of Miitomo coins and game tickets so that users can continue to play Miitomo Drop and use other features such as the Miitomo shop,” Nintendo says.

Not totally unexpected

Talking of Miitomo, it was a social quiz game that included jokes, funny hats and customizable Mii avatars. It was not a game in the traditional sense as players were not allowed to do much with their Mii character, apart from dressing them with different outfits. Instead, these characters served more as a medium for asking users questions.

Nintendo ending Miitomo is not totally unexpected. Though the app was launched with much fanfare two years back, it hasn’t been hugely successful. The company last shared the user number in April 2016, when it said that the app had been downloaded 10 million times. So far, the app has seen 50 million downloads on Android alone, but it is assumed many of those would not be active users of the app now.

Further, the Miis, Nintendo’s trademark avatars that allow users to communicate with friends, lost importance in the Switch, which is Nintendo’s current-gen super-hit console. Also, Nintendo’s mobile focus is now more on reviving traditional games like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, notes The Verge.